Untitled, 1981

This painting was the first Indigenous work acquired by The Australiana Fund.

Uta Uta Tjangala or 'Wuta Wuta' as he was also known, was conceived at Ngurrapalangu in the Kiwirrkura area of the Gibson Desert, Western Australia; and so was connected to the Yina (Old Man) Dreaming story that runs from Ngurrapalangu and through Yumari. One of the original painters from the Papunya group he was a member of the Pintubi/Pintupi tribe and ultimately an inspirational figure in the Papunya art movement, painting continuously until the late 1980s.

Constructive Painting, 1949

Donated by the artist’s son William Balson, the painting was previously part of the estate of Ralph Balson and passed to his family upon his death. Prior to acquisition by The Australiana Fund it was exhibited at the 4th Balson Retrospective in the 1980s at Gallery A, Sydney and was selected for acquistion by Mrs Tamie Fraser, President of The Australiana Fund.

Ralph Balson is acknowledged as one of the pioneers of abstract art in Australia.

The Parting Cheer, 1861

The Parting Cheer is a Victorian narrative painting depicting the departure of emigrants from their families for a new life in a far away land. It reflects the huge wave of migration, about 10 million people, leaving Britain around the mid nineteenth century onwards for other parts of the world including Australia.

Sydney International Exhibition Building and Gardens, C.1879

Artist UnknownOil on CanvasIncluding Frame:Width: 83 cm Height: 70 cm

The Garden Palace was built for the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879 held to celebrate the city and to stimulate new trade, attract immigrants and boost the colony's international reputation. The Italianate building made of wood and stucco, received much fanfare and civic pride on its completion. It was a large and notable building and an example to visitors, of the wealth that the gold rush had brought to the colony. Construction took only eight months and it was the first commercial building to use electricity with the largest dome in the southern hemisphere. On 22 September 1882 the building burnt down and today only the iron gates at Macquarie Street still exist. Paintings of the completed building are rare, this is the only known oil painting though images of the building can be found in photographs and on ceramics.

Yarralumla, 1933

This picture depicts Government House, Canberra and was the result of a vice regal invitation to teach the Governor-General's wife, Lady Isaacs, about art. The circumstances surrounding this small picture draw together many significant themes relating both to Australia and to The Australiana Fund.